"What?! Nonono, she has to be here, she has to..." Axel moaned, pushing past her and craning his neck around, looking for himself. Emilena was right, there wasn't anything - or anyone - here. He turned back, hand grasping the side of his helmet in anxiety. "Oh jesus... come on, come on, where are you..."
Leaving the empty lab, he turned right and kept following the corridor along. Axel couldn't tell if the dull booming he heard was from the attack outside or the blood pounding in his ears. From further up came the clattering of boots, and Axel fought to keep his expression neutral as a group of Purifiers came charging around the corner toting heavy assault rifles. They rushed past him and Emilena, not paying them any attention. Axel turned left into the corner they came from... and halted mid-step. Further up the corridor, a heavy metal door was guarded by two burly rottweilers. A small man in a white lab coat was speaking to one of them. They nodded and stepped aside, letting him through. Axel half turned to Emilena and jerked his head in their direction, then strode up to them, steeling himself and trying to look confident.
"Rhaegmar says we're taking over your shift," he said, standing up straight and setting his shoulders. "He wants you out front."
The rottweiler closest to him frowned and looked at his partner. "Rhaegmar? Don't you mean Rhaegson?"
Axel glared at the Purifier and leaned in, their noses practically touching. "The fuck do you think I just said? He wants his best men out there, or are you too fucking stupid to know there's about to be a goddamn war out there?! If you're too pussy, I'll go tell him myself..." He turned to leave.
"No, wait!" the second rottweiler blurted out. "We are his best. We're damn soldiers!" The other guard nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Soldiers. Getting bored of babysitting these guys anyway."
"Then get out there, prove it and stop wasting my fucking time." The two guards nodded at each other and lumbered off. Axel waited until they were out of eyesight and looked at Emilena, letting out his breath. "I... guess they don't look for brains when they hire here..." he said shakily, his shoulders returning to their slight slouch. "Come on..." Gesturing towards the now vacant door, he pushed the handle down and shoved the heavy structure open with his shoulder, nervously fingering his pistol. He made his way through, stepping aside to allow enough room for Emilena to enter, and scanned the room. Four scientists - three humans and a golden retriever - were milling around computers and other machinery Axel didn't recognise.
"She's a little more stable, but we're going to need to keep an eye on her," one was saying. When they registered Axel and Emilena in the room, they all paused and looked at them curiously. Axel ignored their gazes and looked past them, his eyes drawn to a table at the far end of the room... and he felt himself go numb when he realised what - who - it was. Neck, wrists and ankles strapped down to the metal table, Lily was fastened down tightly. Needles were stuck into her, clamps biting into her skin. Several cables snaked out from each, leading to the parts of machinery scattered around the lab. He couldn't tell if she was conscious or not. Axel felt his hands trembling, and he heard a ringing in his ears. He slowly pushed the door shut behind him.
The golden retriever put down the pen he'd been writing with, and walked over. "Uh... excuse me, are you-"
Axel raised the pistol and shot him in the head, gore spattering the wall behind as his body dropped heavily to the floor. One of the other scientists squealed and rushed across the room, trying to make for the emergency alarm. The rat tracked him and pulled the trigger three times, each bullet tearing through the man's chest. The scientist fell sideways into a cabinet, instruments clattering to the floor, and lay coughing, choking on his blood.
Axel turned to the two remaining scientists who were cringing at the far end of the room, his pistol shaking as he pointed it at the both of them. "Get her out of there! Now!" he screamed.
